The present disclosure relates generally to information handling systems, and more particularly to retaining internal components in an information handling system using an externally mounted retention device.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems often include a chassis that houses internal components of the information handling system. For example, server computing devices, desktop computing devices, and/or other computing devices may include cards such as Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards that are internally housed in the chassis of the computing devices, and those PCI cards may be connected to a connector located on a motherboard or other circuit board or subsystem that is housed in the chassis. Retention devices for internal components such as PCI cards are often included in a chassis in consideration of expected shock and vibration events, as even relatively small movements of the PCI card relative to its connector can cause the PCI card to become disconnected from that connector and lose the ability to communicate through the circuit board. Conventionally, retention devices are provided on the circuit board or housed within the chassis (e.g., extending from the circuit board, an internal wall of the chassis, or from another internal component in the chassis), with those retention devices operating to engage the PCI card to provide a force directed toward the connector that resists movement of the PCI card away from the connector. However, some computing devices include relatively dense chassis that limit or prevent the provisioning of the retention device internal to the chassis, and even in situations where retention devices may be provided internal to the chassis, those retention devices may provide an insufficient retention force that allows the PCI card to move relative to its connector such that they become disconnected.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved internal component retention system.